There are many computer systems that have been designed to create, store, approve revise or verify data electronically. In this age of sophisticated communications technology, having access to such systems can have a great impact on the way transactions are carried out and information and documents can be exchanged. Moreover, the use of such systems contributes to reducing the costs associated with the use of paper, namely, though not exclusively, in the area of processing data or documents. Considerable time can be saved through the use of electronic submission processes, in which paper-based documentation is replaced by electronic data submissions.
While there exist a great number of systems that can facilitate the creation, serial approval, storage and authentication of documents, there is no known system to date that can enable various users to electronically approve documents in parallel, that is at different times or simultaneously and from different geographic locations. Such a method of approval could be useful for many types of communications, where traditional hand-written approvals would be both costly and time-consuming.
There is considerable variation among existing systems with respect to the scope of the functions they offer. Some are particularly limited in their scope, such as the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,969 (Marshall et al.) which is concerned primarily with data authentication and storage. This mechanism stores information and protects against unauthorized modifications. While this type of data authentication system contributes greatly to ensuring the security and integrity of data, it lacks the capacity for the approval of documents in parallel.
Some existing systems offer more extensive types of electronic functions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,133 to Kapp et al describes a system designed to generate a completed payment document, which can be signed by a customer, and then capture that customer's signature in digital form. The principal feature of this mechanism is that it attempts to ensure that a signature approving a particular document was, in fact, captured at the time of the completion of the transaction to which it relates and was not obtained on some other occasion and merely reproduced for the particular transaction in question. The Kapp et al. patent creates a digital record of the transaction and captures a digital representation of the signature at the time the transaction is completed. This system then uses this digital record to encrypt the digital representation of the signature. This system does not verity if any unauthorized changes were made to the text after the signature was affixed. It also lacks any capacity for parallel approval of a document, irrespective of time and location.
Other existing electronic signature methods provide for the creation of an electronic signature for a particular signer only, and cannot be used for any document other than the one that is the object of the signature (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,567 to Miyauchi). Another method operates to authenticate and verify users on a network (U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,427 to Tabuki). The aforementioned systems, albeit useful for certain purposes, do not allow for the parallel approval of electronic documents by multiple users, either simultaneously or serially.
While each of the aforementioned systems can be useful for electronic commercial transactions, they all have certain limitations. These systems do not have the capacity to enable parallel approvals. Current technology requires that any multiple approvals be done in serial fashion, something that is not always practical or feasible. Thus, under the existing methods, it is not possible for various users to access or approve the same document, at the same time, or in parallel, from different locations, in a secure manner. Moreover, there is no existing method in which an electronic approval has the effect of modifying the approval authorization code, a process that, in effect, creates a new document with each new approval.
There are many situations where parallel approval is necessary. Some such examples could include situations where contracts must be approved by numerous parties who may be situated in different locations and who cannot meet in the same place at the same time. In such an instance parallel approval can contribute greatly to reducing travel and communication costs.
This technology can be used extensively in the defense and pharmaceutical industries, for example, and by any global enterprises or organizations in which collaboration among numerous parties is required. Through the use of this system, several people could electronically approve the same document, different documents or parts of a document. Optionally, using a merge method, parts of a document or different documents could be merged into one single electronic document with all approvals preserved.
Clearly then, there is a need for an approval system that better reflects contemporary commercial practice whereby multiple users can access and approve electronic documents in parallel and from different locations, without compromising the security and integrity of the documents that are being approved.